Dibrugarh is an administrative district and the headquarters of Dibrugarh district in the northeast state of Assam, India. The district with only one sub-division is situated in the eastern part of Assam. Perched on the Southern bank of the Brahmaputra River  it is an important commercial centre, a port, and a rail terminus.  Dibrugarh derived its name from Dibarumukh, Dibru meaning a blister & mukh meaning the mouth(mukh) of the river Dibaru. The place was a renowned encampment of Ahoms during Ahom Chutia war. Earlier Dibrugarh was the district HQ of Undivided Lakhimpur district. This district is a plain district of Assam. The entire make up is flat with gradual slopes from the East Arunachal hills to the West.

Situated in the Upper Eastern District of Assam, it is the gateway to the three tea producing districts of Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, and Jorhat. These three areas account for approximately 50% of India's Assam tea crop and this gives Dibrugarh its rightly earned sobriquet as the Tea city of India. Oil and Timber are the big two industries in and around the town. Its other industries include tea processing, rice and oilseed milling.

The only tributary falling from Brahmaputra in this district is Buridihing, a major tributary with its network of tributaries and wetlands flowing through the district from east to west forming the boundary line between Dibrugarh and Sibsagar districts. The Languages commonly used here is Assamese, English, Hindi and Bengali.

Best For:

Dibrugarh is best known for its tea plantations on flat plains, which is quite uncommon. It is also best known for its industries.

The best time to visit  is between October and May. Rains are heavy here and monsoons are from June to September. Parts of Assam are among the wettest places in the world. Light Cottons for Summer & Woolens for winters are suitable clothing.

Dibrugarh is well linked by Roads, Railway, Airway (Mohanbari Airport) and Waterway. There are four airfields, which were used by the British against Japanese forces in Myanmar during World War-II. Located in the upper northeast corner of India, Dibrugarh is well connected with the rest of India. With regular connections to major cities of Assam by air & rail and with a good road network with the rest of India, getting to Dibrugarh is easy.

By Air:
Mohanbari Airport is located at a distance of about 16 KM from Dibrugarh town, which serves the Upper Assam district of Dibrugarh, Tinsukia and Sivasagar and Arunachal Pradesh and is linked with Guwahati, Kolkata, and Delhi.The the Air force field at Chabua (Nadua) which is 25 KM from Dibrugarh is also used as an air link with other important towns of the North East and Kolkata. Dibrugarh airport is connected by regular flights from Kolkata and New Delhi. Besides there is also an air route to Dibrugarh from Guwahati, the capital city of Assam.

By Rail:
It is connected by broad gauge railway line of Northern Frontier Railway to the rest of the state and the country through Tinsukia. The state of Assam has a convenient railway network connecting the other parts of the state and the rest of the country. There are train services from Kolkata, New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Cochin and Trivandrum.

By Road:
The National Highway.-37 is the major road running through the district. Dibrugarh is well connected by roads. NH-37 traverses across the state of Assam connecting all major towns and cities. Dibrugarh is 440 kms from Guwahati, the capital city of Assam.  Several private travel companies and the Assam State Transport Corporation operate a large network of buses around the state

Local Transport: Unmetered taxis with negotiable rates depending on the distances to be travelled, Mini Coaches, Car/Taxi-Non AC & private vehicles are the main mode of local transport here

Apart from the Tea gardens at Dibrugarh, the Dibru Saikhowa National park (Boat trip & Jungle walk) is another tourist attraction. The Bihu cultural dances in the evenings are also very enjoyable. The Oil refinery in Digboi, the first commercially viable well in India known locally as Well No.1 was successfully drilled in September-1889 and first modern refinery in India was built and commissioned in December-1901. Digboi refinery has been awarded the ISO-14001 and OHSMC certificate. This hundred year old Digboi refinery can be considered a technical marvel of the past and present. This is a place one must  visit which is a couple of hours distance from Dibrugarh. The Tai-Phake tribal village is also an interesting place to see.

Nearby Places:

The Kaziranga National Park- 240 kms. (5 hrs drive) from Dibrugarh, the park is home to more than 75% of the world?s population of the great Indian One horned Rhinoceros and is worth seeing. Enroute one can visit Sivasagar, the ancient capital town of the Ahom kingdom who ruled Assam at a stretch of 600 years before the reign of British. The ancient temples and monuments like Ranghar, Karenghar, Talatalghar, Siva Dol, Jay Dol Jay Sagar can also be visited.

There are quite a few places to stay at Dibrugarh. Among them, Mancotta Chang Bunglow & Jalnagar South Bunglow are two delightful colonial era tea bungalow estates to stay in. East End hotel, Hotel Indsuriya, Hotel Devika are a few more good places to stay while in Dibrugarh.

Dibrugarh is a launch or starting point for many places to visit in Assam, as it has both, an Air base & a Rail Terminal. However, Dibrugarh is best covered in a day or two. It is advisable to club it with the other places of Assam.